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UK Channel Airs The Emoji Movie Instead of Queen’s Funeral

Almost all of the major British networks — and even some X-rated channels — paused their regularly scheduled programming on Monday, September 19th to air Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, but one exception was Channel 5, which offered a rather unique form of counterprogramming with The Emoji Movie.

Since the day of the funeral is a national holiday, it made sense to offer kid-friendly programming, but opting for The Emoji Movie rather than something like the charming Paddington 2 was a puzzling decision. After all, the Queen had tea with Paddington himself in celebration of the Platinum Jubilee in 2021.

Released in 2017, The Emoji Movie features the voice acting of T.J. Miller, James Corden, and Patrick Stewart. At one point, the film had a 0% Rotten Tomatoes rating and it subsequently won Worst Picture at the 2018 Razzie Awards.

To its credit, Channel 5 — which airs children’s content every morning — followed up with higher quality options, including Stuart Little, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, and Sing.

Queen Elizabeth II died at the age of 96 earlier this month, after which we rounded up tributes, criticisms, jokes, and other reactions from the world of entertainment. Her passing inspired Kanye West to let go of his grudges, Pearl Jam to cover The Beatles’ “Her Majesty,” and classic tales of the Queen to surface like the time she ditched a private Paul McCartney concert to watch Twin Peaks.

Former Sex Pistols singer John Lydon has also used the occasion to stir up drama with his old band.